Past tense of 'case': to examine something carefully, put something in a case/container, or to survey a location (often for illegal purposes).
From 'case' (a container, or to examine closely). The word has roots in Old French 'casse' (box, container) from Latin 'capsa,' while the verb meaning 'survey' emerged in 20th-century American slang.
When criminals say they 'cased the joint,' they're using slang that means they watched it carefully beforehand—the word connects to 'putting something in a case' because you're gathering information to put inside your mental case file.
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